Reconcile livestock farming development with management of ecosystems recognized as Common goods are at stake in many countries. But the actual way in which farmers use ecosystems and its vegetation to feed their herds remain under investigated. Qualifying the diversity of links between livestock farming and natural ecosystems is the objective of this article, by crossing two situations of familial livestock farming greatly contrasting each other regarding their ecological as well as socioeconomic conditions: small ruminant farming in southern Tunisia and dairy farming in Brazilian Amazonia. In both countries, herd feeding practices based on pasture are blamed for causing desertification and deforestation. We implemented a comprehensive and formalized approach, combining monitoring of livestock farming practices and an iterative categorisation. We identified different links between livestock strategies and ecosystems according to the function of natural resources in feeding the herds and the role of the livestock in the farms. Describing and explaining this diversity allowed us to deconstruct the reductive image of livestock farming devastating the ecosystems. Our results are discussed and allow us to propose research paths to reconcile livestock farming development with sustainable management of ecosystems and to question the nature of what is called “resources” for the farmers.