Demand for nonprovisioning ecosystem services as a driver of change in the Canadian boreal zone

The Canadian boreal zone provides ecosystem services from local to global scales. Either directly or indirectly, demands for these services have and will continue to serve as drivers of change in the region. Here we present evidence for past, present, and potential future demand for maintaining non-provisioning ecosystem services (NPrES), defined as indirect and non-marketable services obtained from ecosystems, as a driver of change in the boreal zone. Our evidence of demand stems from federal and provincial policy, actions by Indigenous peoples, and non-governmental initiatives that aim to maintain the sustainability of natural resource extraction and ecosystem condition of the boreal. Presently, the demand for NPrES influences decisions related to natural resource development (e.g., forestry) that in turn impacts the condition of the boreal zone. Informed by the present conditions and past trends, three future scenarios to the year 2050 are presented that contrast in their trajectory – status quo, incre...