The 1st International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens took place at the University of Utrecht Botanic Garden, The Netherlands in May 1991. The theme of the Congress was “A natural environment for learning”. Seventy-nine people from twenty countries participated in the event. Over the three and a half days of the congress, a lively and stimulating exchange of views, ideas and information took place. The congress embraced a broad platform of subjects from public relations, tourism and education to plants and technology, from multicultural education to art and education. The unifying theme was conservation.