French Guiana will step onto the Miss World stage for the first time this year, with 20-year-old Audrey Ho-Wen-Tsaï set to represent the South American territory at the international beauty pageant.

Ho-Wen-Tsaï is a native of Kourou, a coastal town in French Guiana which is home to the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA).

The Miss World Organisation said outside of the pageant stage, Ho-Wen-Tsaï is recognised for her work in environmental awareness and sustainable development.

She is the founder of Paypayo Media, a communication and education initiative inspired by the paypayo, a bird native to French Guiana. Through the platform, she focuses on environmental education, public awareness and civic engagement, using media and community activities to highlight ecological issues.

Her advocacy is closely connected to the natural environment of French Guiana, a territory known for its vast Amazon rainforest, which covers more than 90 per cent of its land area and contains some of the world’s richest biodiversity.

Ho-Wen-Tsaï’s participation marks French Guiana becoming the 184th territory or nation to join the Miss World Festival.

The 75th anniversary edition of Miss World will take place in Vietnam from August 9 to September 5.