Successful conservation depends on strong partnerships. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan has pioneered a public-private partnership approach, forging alliances with other sectors and communities to achieve sustainable landscape management. The Plan's progress has relied on conservation organizations joining forces with federal, provincial, and state governments, industry, private companies, individuals and private landowners. These unique partnerships have made the Plan a model for international conservation. For more information, refer to the 2004 Update to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Strengthening the Biological Foundation (2.2 MB) and the 2004 NAWMP Implementation Framework.

Partnerships are also being formed with other migratory bird initiatives, such as Partners in Flight and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) is made up of a broad coalition of experts considering ways to best conserve all migratory bird species.