摘要
•Ecosystem services concept seems to get foothold in environmental policy and management.•Ecosystem services concept can contribute to sustainable decisions in groundwater management.•Overview of groundwater related ecosystem services is presented.•Key elements for sustainable groundwater management are derived and related to the ecosystem services concept.•Sustainability of groundwater management solutions will increase when more of the key elements of sustainable groundwater management, as defined in this article, are fully used and the guidelines for long term use of ecosystem services are respected.