Covers preserve work that is special (8)
I believe the answer is:
canopies
'covers' is the definition.
(canopying is a kind of covering)
'preserve work that is special' is the wordplay.
'preserve' becomes 'can' (canning is a kind of preserving).
'work' becomes 'opie' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'that is special' becomes 's' (common abbreviation as in Special Air Service).
'can'+'opie'+'s'='CANOPIES'
(Other definitions for canopies that I've seen before include "Coverings to shelter an area from the weather" , "Coverings over a bed, throne, etc." .)