River ecosystem services (rESS) such as the provision of drinking water, fish and other foods, flood protection, or spaces for recreation are important to human well-being. We present methods, tools, and resources for measuring, mapping, assessing, and reporting on status and trends in rESS. Within this framing, we show current approaches to integrate rESS in river basin management and to address the societal implications of trade-offs and synergies between different services, ecosystem processes, and other human uses. We position rESS in the wider context of global policies as e.g. the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the post-2020 biodiversity framework, and the United Nation's Sustainable Development Agenda. Finally, we suggest ways to advance rESS in terms of policy, science and knowledge, and management practice.