ROAM.eco Launches, Connecting Conservation, Art and Storytelling Across Africa

Roam Africa Conservation Founder Xtina Parks Launches ROAM.eco, Uniting Conservation, Art, and Storytelling Under One Platform: New unified website connects Roam Africa Conservation's on-the-ground work in Southern and Eastern Africa with Xtina Parks' photography, film, and gallery ventures.

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA / ACCESS Newswire / September 24, 2026 / There are seemingly small moments that quietly yet profoundly change the course of a life.

For Xtina Parks, one of those moments came in 2011, thousands of miles from home, on a photography expedition in the African bush. As Parks sat quietly in a safari vehicle, watching a matriarchal elephant herd move freely across the landscape - mothers tending to their young - she was struck by the realization that she was witnessing a sight becoming increasingly rare: African elephants roaming free.

"It hits me. I have to do something to keep it like this," she recalls.

That moment sparked an aspiration that, more than fifteen years later, still drives her work to support local villages, protect African wildlife, and preserve the ecosystems they depend on. The path since then has grown into an ecosystem of interconnected ventures: wildlife photography, writing, and filmmaking, ROAM A Xtina Parks Gallery, and, recently, the founding of Roam Africa Conservation, a nonprofit that implements community and conservation programs to restore ecological corridors and build sustainable enterprises in Africa.

"In all my time in Africa, I learned quickly that conservation doesn't just happen and is impossible, frankly, in isolation," shared Parks.

After 15 years working in the conservation landscape, she now fundamentally understands that success can only occur by layering science, partnerships, asset-based community development and engagement, education, economic empowerment, and cultural heritage together. This awareness shaped her vision for establishing the not-for-profit Roam Africa Conservation, as well as her broad network of ventures, each designed to strengthen each other.

Roam Africa Conservation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, restores habitats and reconnects wildlife corridors. Documentary films and the YouTube series ROAM with Xtina tell the stories behind the on the ground field work. Award-winning photography and her book ROAM celebrate Africa's landscapes and Parks' multi-decade journey. ROAM A Xtina Parks Gallery offers a market for African artists and artisans, alongside a coffee shop that highlights sustainably sourced micro-plot farmers. Together, they form an ecosystem in which creativity supports conservation. Establishing the Roam Africa Conservation vision into reality on the ground takes concrete governance and leadership. Roam Africa Conservation is guided by Executive Director, Bridget Rigas, who directs the organization's strategy in Africa, as well as establishing relationships and collaborations with community leaders, NGOs, government agencies and supporters, giving the organization a solid foundation for lasting change.

"Xtina saw what was at stake and refused to walk away," says Rigas. "Our work now is to turn that resolve into corridors reconnected, habitats restored, and communities who thrive alongside the wildlife they live with. None of it happens alone and it is invigorating being a part of something that will have big impact that affect entire species in Africa." The full team also includes Conservation Director, Vincent du Toit, Conservation and Community Manager, Barberton Munduu, Biologist, James Kuria N'Dungu, and Conservation and Community Assistant, Tebogo Motimane.

Implementing conservation programs effectively takes communities, partners, researchers, scientists, businesses, and supporters working toward a shared goal, even when their activities are distinct.

To illustrate the full breadth of the conservation and community work these ventures support, Roam Africa Conservation has launched a new website that ties the ROAM ventures together, explains how each one advances the mission, and makes clear the relationship between creativity and conservation.

ROAM.eco: connected ventures bound by a shared mission to protect Africa's wildlife, restoring habitats, and strengthening the communities that live alongside them.

• Roam Africa Conservation 501(c)(3)
• Motlhala Tau Safari Lodge
• ROAM A Xtina Parks Gallery
• Photography & Book
• Film Series
• Artist Residency

Roam Africa Conservation exists because of Xtina Park's vision and support as well as all the individuals and organizations who work alongside it, and this year the team has worked to build a single "home" that shows the whole picture in one place. Roam Africa Conservation thanks its donors, board members, and collaborators for their continued support.

Visit www.ROAM.eco to learn more about ROAM's mission to connect conservation, community, storytelling, and art to protect Africa's wildlife and wild places while celebrating and supporting the people and cultures that share these landscapes.

About Roam Africa Conservation

Roam Africa Conservation (RAC) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit, registered in the USA and in Botswana, that implements community and conservation programs and supports biodiversity programs in both Southern and Eastern African regions. RAC's strategy is organized around four pillars, Community, Conservation, Connectivity, and Culture, restoring wildlife corridors and habitats while strengthening the communities who live alongside them. Learn more at www.roam.eco/conservation.

About ROAM A Xtina Parks Gallery

ROAM A Xtina Parks Gallery is a curated African fair trade contemporary art space at 16 Water Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with an adjoining coffee shop sourcing coffee and tea directly and ethically from farmers and producers. Founded by photographer and conservationist Xtina Parks, the gallery represents African artists and artisans across contemporary painting, sculpture, fine art photography, furniture, jewelry, and home décor, celebrating Africa's land, people, and wildlife while supporting sustainable craftsmanship and ethical trade. On select goods, a portion of its sale will be donated to Roam Africa Conservation, supporting conservation and community programs in Africa. Learn more at www.roam.eco/gallery.

On display until November 2026 is Timelines, a multi-media exhibition, curated in collaboration with Igsaan Martin, of six contemporary African artists whose work explores memory, identity, resilience, and imagination that shape individual and collective histories. ROAM A Xtina Parks Gallery is open Tuesday - Friday, 10 AM - 5 PM.

About Motlhala Tau Safari Lodge

Motlhala Tau Safari Lodge is a five-star private retreat and expedition base inside the Limpopo-Lipadi Wildlife Game Reserve, located on the Limpopo River border in Botswana with South Africa. The name translates to "lion's track" in Setswana and was inspired by the lion tracks found on the property the day Xtina Parks first visited the site. Available for select private rentals, the lodge hosts guests, photographers, and conservation travelers. Each stay contributes to habitat protection, wildlife monitoring, and community led conservation across the region alongside Roam Africa Conservation. Learn more at www.roam.eco/lodge.

Media Contact:

Bridget Rigas, Executive Director, Roam Africa Conservation
+1 (413) 496-5320, [email protected]

SOURCE: Roam Africa Conservation