Livelihood relations and conflict dynamics are changing in Nigeria’s Middle Belt due to climate change and environmental degradation and rising pressure on natural resources. This study explores the role of competition over land, water and grazing resources as a factor for communal conflicts in Benue, Plateau and Taraba States, with special focus on the linkage between environmental stress and resource related conflicts. This study used qualitative documentary research design and only secondary data from peer-reviewed literature, Government policies/reports and conflict assessment etc were obtained from relevant sources. Thematic analysis was used on the documentary data, which was analyzed on four dimensions: environmental and resource pressure, competition for access to the resources, escalation of conflict, and governance and peacebuilding response. The results suggest that land and water are the key resources where farmer–herder conflicts arise and the pressure on such contested resources is exacerbated by climate variability, environmental degradation, population pressure, and land-use change. But there is no evidence for a causal link between climate change and communal violence. Instead, environmental stress tends to act as a multiplier of conflict, and institutional shortcomings, competing land-use demands, uncertain arrangements of resource access, poor dispute-resolution systems and a sense of exclusion drive whether resource conflict resolves into violence or not. The study also presents a reinforcing feedback loop between the two factors: resource competition leads to conflict, and/or displacement, loss of agriculture and disruption of livelihoods leads to higher vulnerability and higher pressure on remaining resources. The study ends by arguing for an integrated approach of linking Environmental Governance, Resource Management and Climate Adaptation and Peacebuilding in Nigeria’s Middle Belt for durable peace. It calls for greater efforts in land and water governance, negotiated land and livestock mobility arrangements, community-based conflict resolution processes, conflict-sensitive climate adaptation and enhanced resource-mapping and farmer, pastoralist and other community participation in resource-governance decisions.

Keywords: Climate Change, Natural Resource Competition and Communal Conflict.