Southwest China's Yunnan Province invested a total of 1.2 billion yuan in environmental protection last year, ranking first in the country, according to the provincial government.

This sum, which includes 570 million yuan of loan from the World Bank and 36 million yuan of Italian government's loan, was used to implement over 300 environmental protection projects to curb industrial, air, and noise pollution, renovate sewage treatment facilities, and strengthen supervision of polluters, an official said.

At the same time, the province made thorough inspections of 230 enterprises along rivers and lakes, and factories found to be polluting the air and water were either punished or shut down, according to the official.

In addition, the province has set up 400 supervision stations for the management, treatment, and control of urban sewage, garbage, industrial wastes, and gas exhausts.

Environmental protection has been given top priority in Yunnan in recent years, he said, adding that the local environment has been greatly improved.

The province plans to invest 1.3 billion yuan in environmental protection this year.