Livestock production is facing a challenge: satisfy an increasing demand for animal products while improving its environmental sustainability. Widely recognized quantitative assessments of its environmental performances are pivotal to reveal improvement options. Most existing assessments focused on greenhouse gases emissions; yet, the environmental impacts of livestock production are not restricted to this component. As a major user of land resources, livestock have a strong impact on biodiversity which has not been quantified so far. This study aimed at providing a framework for quantifying the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity at global scale. An extensive review of the methods, indicators and data addressing the relationships between livestock production and biodiversity was conducted. We propose a framework linking: (1) indicators of pressures on biodiversity related to livestock activities on farm, upstream and downstream; to (2) indicators of the state of biodiversity. We identifed key drivers of impacts and showed that they differed among livestock sectors, production systems and climates; therefore, the set of relevant pressure indicators also varied among these categories. Importantly, pressure indicators also considered that livestock can have a positive influence on biodiversity. State indicators should ideally be applicable at global or continental scale. Several indicators fulfilling this requirements were found, including species richness, abundances, population trends and metrics based on remotely sensed vegetation data. Several focus case studies around the globe could be used to perform a statistical analysis of the relationships between pressure and state indicators. We discuss options for the improvement of biodiversity performances and their potential conflicts with mitigat on options already proposed in the context of greenhouse gases emissions.