He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1955 for his campaigning work to secure the future pensions of the Sudanese Civil Servants.

His involvement is recognised by Bernard Grzimek in his book Rhinos Belong to Everybody, where he is included in the foreword for his efforts to create the park system.

[3][citation needed] The Institute attracted many scientists to work there or to visit, including the Nobel-prize winner Niko Tinbergen and his students.

The dedication at the front of his book Serengeti a Kingdom of Predators was "To John S. Owen whose vision and initiative have helped to create in Tanzania some of the world's finest national parks".

[7] In 1973 Owen left Africa for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., the think tank on global ecology.

In 1971 he was made an Honorary Doctor of Science at Oxford University for his contribution to conservation, and in the same year, he was awarded the World Wildlife Fund Gold Medal.