Not just because it's section 2.7, I think they're talking about the need to protect the 'spatial functioning' of the ecosystem, or balancing the environmental need for space against the needs of the other users of the EEZ.

Here are some sites that make use of the concept in an environmental context.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-
bin/abstract/5613/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
River restoration in five dimensions
... 3. The spatial dimension considers the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical connectivity within river systems, and the relationship between restoration and the **spatial functioning** of rivers. There is a growing acceptance of the importance not only of connections between river channels and their adjacent floodplains, but also of the need to take account of river processes operating at the catchment scale.

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1364191
Cohorts in space : geostatistical mapping of the age structure of the squat lobster Pleuroncodes monodon population off central Chile
Résumé / Abstract
Animal populations are spatial objects in the sense that their structure and functioning depend on the spatial context they inhabit. However, most population dynamics models ignore the spatial context and set populations 'in the air'. This paper is focused on the squat lobster Pleuroncodes monodon population inhabiting the narrow continental shelf off central Chile, and encompassing 3 degrees of latitude. We tested the hypothesis that the **spatial functioning** of this population is driven by annual cohorts that enter the population through a nursery ground, and then radiate away from the nursery to the north and south by individual dispersal, thus creating a spatial pattern where age and distance from the nursery are correlated.

http://www.nioo.knaw.nl/PPAGES/mcoci/
Denaturing gradient gel electrophoretic analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacterial community structure in the lower Seine River: Impact of Paris wastewater effluents
Applied And Environmental Microbiology 70: 6726-6737

The Seine River is strongly affected by the effluents from the Acheres wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) downstream of the city of Paris. ... The aim of the present study was to investigate the diversity of the ammonia-oxidizing bacterial population by identifying autochthonous bacteria from upstream and/or allochthonous ammonia-oxidizing bacteria from the WWTP effluents. Measurements of potential nitrifying activity... were used to explore the succession and shifts of the ammonia-oxidizing community in the lower Seine River and to analyze the temporal and **spatial functioning** of the system at several different sampling dates. A major revelation was the stability of the patterns...

http://mel.xmu.edu.cn/pptok/special_issue/Naudin_et_al_abstr...
Coastal Ecosystem Responses to Changing Nutrient Inputs from Large Temperate and Sub-tropical Rivers, with Emphasis on Comparison among the Mississippi (USA), Pearl (China), Yangtze (China) and Rhône (France) Rivers

Simulations of the salinity field through a 3D-hydrodynamic model were consistent with field measurements and improve our understanding on the dynamical mechanisms involved in the temporal and **spatial functioning** of a plume and associated structures.

http://myweb.dal.ca/willison/BeazleyETALfinal.pdf
A REPORT ON A CONSERVATION PLANNING PROCESS FOR A TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION VISION IN NOVA SCOTIA
Core areas and connectivity, compatible use and aquatic/marine protection zones were defined on the basis of their ecological importance as representative samples of typical natural landscapes, special elements, and habitat for focal species, along with their **spatial functions** in creating an interconnected system across the landscape.


http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tandf/uaeh/2006/000000...
Evaluation of marine spatial resources and its application to the establishment marine usage charge: case study of Xiamen, China
Abstract:
While marine environmental destruction and marine resource over-consumption are urgent challenges facing us today, the value of marine spatial resources continues to be overlooked and undervalued. We have begun to reach the limits of the oceans and must now begin to utilize and govern them in a more sustainable way. Imposing usage charges in sectors that utilize marine areas for production or for waste disposal would be an efficient economic instrument to discourage waste, optimize distribution, promote conservation and provide funds to improve sea areas health. The essential task for establishing the usage charges for marine spaces is to estimate the value of marine areas. In this study, two operative models are developed to assess the value of marine spaces and the models are applied in order to evaluate the price of different types of marine **spatial functions** in Xiamen. This study could help decision makers to improve management of sea spatial resources. The principles for establishing the usage charges for marine spaces are also discussed.