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The Payamino Project was created by the villagers as a repsonse to their socio-economical situation and increasing pressure from logging, oil and mining companies as well as uprooted landless settlers in the region.

Untill 2005, the villagers of San Jose de Payamino lived almost isolated from the sorrounding community with the Payamino River being the only means of transport to town. However, recent road development has led to increasing integration into the modern market economy, with growing pressure on the natural resources and rainforest as a consequence in order to generate the necessary means to pay for basic consumption goods, education and healthcare.

Thanks to external funding by external sponsors, the commmunity has not yet cut a singel tree for comercial purposes and the forest stands largely untouched with a thriwing ecosystem. In 2002, the community signed an agreement with the Danish Zoo from Aalborg, providing essential funding for education, healthcare services and sustainable development projects. Moreover, Glasgow and Manchester Universities has led yearly field trips into the area to uncover what species are present in this this pristine and unexplored wild pocket of the Amazon.

The overall aim of the community and sponsors is to provide a breathing space for the Kichwa villagers that will enable the community to shape its own development in a way that ensures the continued survival of traditions and the natural environment.