Part 7: Conservation Covenants Section 118: Conservation covenants
Section 118 defines a conservation covenant. It is that part of a conservation covenant agreement that is given statutory effect by this section.
	This section gives statutory effect to any provision contained in a conservation covenant agreement which is of a qualifying kind, has a conservation purpose, and is intended by the parties to be for the public good – the conditions specified in section 117(1)(a).
	This section also gives statutory effect to any provision in a conservation covenant agreement that is ancillary to a provision that meets those conditions. An "ancillary provision" is a provision that does not itself meet the conditions in section 117(1)(a), but is related to the performance of a provision that does – for example, provision for payment for work done on the land, or provision relating to the way in which work is to be performed. Ancillary provisions may not themselves have a conservation purpose or, taken in isolation, be intended to be for the public good; they are nevertheless closely linked with provision of the agreement that does meet the relevant conditions, and so are given statutory effect along with them.
	This section also provides that provision for public access to land that is the subject of a conservation covenant is to be treated as ancillary to provision given statutory effect by the section. Provision for public access to land may not itself meet the conditions specified in section 117(1)(a) because it may not itself have a conservation purpose. By treating such provision as ancillary provision, subsection (3) makes sure that the public access provision is given statutory effect.
	Both types of provisions of conservation covenant agreements given statutory effect by this section (those that meet the conditions specified in section 117(1)(a) and ancillary provisions) are referred to in the rest of Part 7 as obligations under a conservation covenant (subsection (4)(a)).