The value of doing nothing – How informal green spaces can provide comparable ecosystem services to cultivated urban parks

Abstract Urban green spaces have been widely recognized for their ecosystem services (ES) provisioning, but their resources are insufficient. Informal green spaces (IGS), the neglected areas whose maintenance was abandoned, can complement existing greenery, generating minimal costs for the managers. In this transdisciplinary study, we investigate the role of IGS in the ES provisioning and preserving biodiversity compared to urban parks. We conducted measurements in locations that represent IGS in two varying habitat types (upland and riparian) compared to recently established parks on the upland. We measured biophysical indicators related to ES and performed a social study to assess cultural ES. We used multivariate analysis to find the significant indicators related to ES and biodiversity and analyzed interrelations among them. We found comparable ES provisioning for dust removal, cooling benefits, water storage and biodiversity preservation in IGS and urban parks. The differences were mainly due to the canopy development stage rather than cultivation. Despite the lack of infrastructure, IGS with dense vegetation were perceived more positively than traditionally cultivated parks. We found differences in how the ES and biodiversity were interrelated, in IGS, the most important links were between regulating and supporting services, while in parks, cultural services prevailed.