In one particularly troubling example, human rights groups have accused government authorities in Kenya of evicting Ogiek communities from the country’s Mau Forest. They say that the quest for carbon credits is at the root of the move.

“There’s a distinction between the nationalization of a project and the creation of regulations and policy that includes and requires, among other things, sharing of proceeds with the government,” Tosteson said.

He pointed to Cambodia, which he said has struck a balance. (Everland works with the Keo Seima REDD+ project in eastern Cambodia.)

“They’ve got an appropriate revenue share between projects and the national government,” Tosteson said. “It leaves the vast majority of the resources for implementation on the ground.”

But a major concern is that countries will take too large a cut of the proceeds. That would diminish funding for forest conservation and economic development on the ground. It will also discourage REDD+ project developers from operating in the country, said Robert Nasi, chief operating officer of the global research and development organization CIFOR-ICRAF.