The annual meeting 2010 of CAS Botanical Gardens and Herbaria Education Network was held in Sanya, Hainan Province during April 14-17. The meeting brought together 36 representatives of botanical gardens and herbaria of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Tian Ming, deputy director of CAS Bureau of Planning & Strategy, and Prof. Dr. Chen Jin, dorector of XTBG respectively. The meeting aimed at gathering advice and suggetions on the strategy of the 12th 5-year planning of the network.

Summary reports 2009 of the CAS Botanical Gardens and Herbaria Education Network were also presented at the meeting.

Plants can be used to teach not only scientific disciplines such as botany, ecology and taxonomy, but also social sciences, languages, and the arts. Botanical gardens and herbaria will thus play an important role in plant-based popular science education which supports the use of plants as a tool for learning in all aspects of school curricula and lifelong learning.

During the sessions, the participants visited tropical rainforests in Hainan and had an understanding on the ethnic cultures.