The 2004 Strategic Guidance for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) serves as a renewal of the original 1986 plan, building on updates in 1994 and 1998 to outline needs, priorities, and strategies for the next 15 years. It emphasizes strengthening the biological foundation through sound science, adaptive management, and partnerships across Canada, the United States, and Mexico to sustain waterfowl populations and their habitats for future generations. The document highlights the plan's legacy of conserving over 13 million acres of wetlands and leveraging billions in funding, attributing successes to joint ventures and programs like the U.S. Conservation Reserve Program. Three interconnected visions guide the effort:

• defining and achieving landscape conditions to support waterfowl and associated species via biologically based planning;
• broadening alliances with governments, NGOs, indigenous communities, and other sectors; and
• enhancing scientific understanding through monitoring, research, and evaluation to reduce uncertainties.

Emerging trends such as population growth, urbanization, climate change, invasive species, and demands for energy and agriculture pose challenges to waterfowl conservation, requiring proactive strategies to maintain habitat quality and quantity. Population objectives are set to 1970s averages for average environmental conditions, including specific targets for ducks (e.g., 8.2 million mallards, 5.6 million northern pintails), geese (with 28 of 34 populations managed, many exceeding goals but others like Atlantic Flyway Canada geese declining), and swans (e.g., 80,000 eastern tundra swans). The plan calls for landscape-level approaches, community-based projects, and institutional structures like the Plan Committee and joint ventures to implement actions, address knowledge gaps, and integrate with broader bird conservation initiatives for long-term sustainability.