"As parliamentarians we (must) legislate laws that protect the environment rather than do politics with our resources," Maathai told some 1,500 members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting at their 114th conference here.

"It is impossible to realize peace without managing our limited resources responsibly, accountably, transparently and sustainably," she said.

"It is one thing to make a statement and it's another to demonstrate by action," Maathai told the MPs on the second day of the conference. "If we don't take care, we may end up jeopardising future generations."

Members of the IPU, the world's oldest multilateral political organization, are meeting in Nairobi for five days to discuss best legislative and government practices, environmental management, trafficking of small arms and violence against women.

Maathai, Kenya's former deputy environment minister, was honored by the Nobel committee in 2004 for being at the forefront of the fight to promote environmentally sensitive development schemes throughout Africa.

She founded the Green Belt Movement that has planted some 30 million trees to counter tree loss and desertification in Africa and has championed the programs as key to development and the respect of human rights.

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